Can you see us?
by empire14
Summary: I've been going from 'home' to 'home'. I've been keeping a very strange and recently dark secret. If I ignore them they hurt me, if I help them I'll always be alone. Still don't get it: my name is Sasuke Uchiha and I can see ghosts.  Naruto is NOT dead
1. Prologue

**Okay, so, this story has been completely revised before I even dared to continue it. Anyway, I have made some major changes and I hope you can all still enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any shape, way and/or form.**

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Trees lined the short drive way that lead to a comfortable looking house in the middle of nowhere. Or, at least, that's what it felt like anyway. The house wasn't exactly that far from the city and you could still faintly hear the honking of horns and the soft buzzing of the highway. But, having grown up in cities, this felt like the middle of nowhere, which was not really such a bad thing.

Staring at the house in front of me I noticed that it had a patio made of wood. It also wasn't exactly white but had a more of a yellow like color, although, that could also be the suns doing. The trees rustled gently in the small breeze that also made my hair sway. The sun was warm yet not uncomfortable and the sky was a beautiful shade of light blue. I closed my eyes and took a deep calming breath. Even though I was raised with the honking of cars, the screeching of brakes and the shouting of people right outside my bedroom window, I still preferred the country side. Especially in summer…or in winter when it snowed, but seeing as I wasn't such a big fan of the cold I preferred the summer.

I looked at the house again and took in every detail, from the blue window sills and the brown front door to the little cracks and holes decorating the outer wall of the house. It had three windows on the second floor and one big window on the first floor (for me) on the left side of the front door, this caused the front door to be more to the right (again, for me) and not to be in the middle.

Maybe they were hoping that a different setting was going to make me stay. I snorted in my thoughts, it would be just a matter of time before these people would be begging the agency to take me back.  
This thought flooded me with a very familiar feeling; loneliness. I just wish I was eighteen already so I could live on my own. I was getting sick and tired of being sent to a 'new home', knowing I shouldn't get my hopes up, but unconsciously still doing so and then, getting my feelings and hopes crushed when they would look at me in disgust, fear and anger before either calling the agency or just throwing me out. What was the meaning of a 'new home' when I wasn't even there to at least celebrate one holiday.

People also insisted on calling every new house I went to my 'new home'. I, on the other hand, was a bit more realistic. I haven't had a home since I was dumped into foster care when I was seven, a month after my family died. I've been from 'home' to 'home' ever since.

Now, you might be wondering as to why a kid who actually _wanted _to stay in a 'home' never could. The most important word here being; _could_. Well, it all started when I was eight, five months after _the accident_ and my first day in my 'new home', my first one. I had just met my two new guardians while they had shown me around the house and they had told me to get settled in while they finished the last of the paperwork. They didn't look like bad people but I did feel lonely. This, however, changed when I met their son. He was a happy kid of about nine and he looked really excited to talk to me. We spent the next half an hour or so talking while I unpacked some of my stuff.  
When the woman came in she asked me if I needed anything or if I wanted to go outside and play. I didn't really react to her, nor did I pay attention to the man in the doorway. I still felt uncomfortable and oddly sad whenever I was around adults.

It wasn't until the next day did I start to notice something was wrong. I liked their sun, Ozumi, yet they didn't seem to notice him at all. I know this saddened him even though he tried to hide it. So when we were having dinner on my second day there I asked why only the three of us were eating. At first they looked at me really weird before asking me what I meant. The casualty with which they said this got to me, how could they be ignoring their own son!  
I got mad for the first time since _the accident_ had happened and told them to stop ignoring Ozumi since it was hurting him, and they were supposed to be his parents!

After they told me to stop lying since it wasn't funny I insisted he was standing right there and described exactly how he looked. And after that I was back at the agency within three hours.

This happened twice more before I decided to either ignore the 'other people', as I named them, or just not tell anyone about them. Being the kid I was, I decided to help them in secrecy. This, however, I only did for two years before I decided it wasn't worth the trouble of people somehow still finding out.

By now I was dubbed crazy, and sent to a psychiatrist. That guy was extremely annoying and I didn't feel like talking to him at all. Fortunately, after countless of sessions in which I only grew agitated while keeping my mouth shut I was said to have a late imagination, or something. The guy basically meant that the 'stress' of losing my family had lead me to form imaginary friends to fill up the hole it left.

I knew they were wrong but there was no way in hell I was going to tell them the truth. They wouldn't believe me anyway and would probably send me to a mental hospital, so, I just let them believe whatever they wanted. As long as they didn't lock me up, it didn't really matter that much, right?...Right.

However, my problems didn't just go away, they actually became bigger. I didn't want people to think I was some crazy kid still stuck with 'imaginary friends' and so I completely ignored the other people. This worked pretty well until…I slipped. Within a day all other people within a ten mile radius were asking for my help. I tried to ignore them but they wouldn't leave me alone. They even stayed by me when I was trying to sleep. After three nights I got sick of it and flipped, I threw all kind of stuff at them but, of course, it just passed right through them.  
After doing so I got sent back again, having to go to anger management before I could be adopted, again. AM was a pain and I hated it to no end, but, complaining about it wouldn't get me anywhere. So, after a year or so I was adopted again by a family in, surprise surprise, the city. That's where I stayed for two years, the agency finally thought I had found my 'home'.  
Oh, how they were wrong.

The first month was…okay. There was a boy in the house, about my age, who was one of the other people. One night I had a very strange dream about a life that wasn't even mine, although it felt like I had lived it. And when I woke up, everything was different. _I_ was different. That boy was standing next to my bed shouting at me that I had now felt his pain, the pain he didn't deserve, but somehow he thought I did. he then disappeared, leaving me confused and in a lot of pain. It turned out I had been my foster dad's punching bag for the last two years, yet I could only remember the first month…and the last. And that last month was, and still is, a very dark and painful memory for me. Aaand…I don't like to either think or talk about it. Although I am now even more _scared_ actually, of grownups. But, as I took a deep breath and started heading for the front door, I only had to put up with this for about one and a half year before I was able to live on my own. The only problem now was; I now knew the other people could do…_certain things_. And I was seriously wondering if they could even hurt real people, probably yes. So, even more things to look out for…great.

Walking the three steps up onto the patio and the front door I sighed before ringing the bell, this might become harder than ever. Keeping the other people a secret for everyone might become very difficult if they can actually do something to make their presence known to real people even though real people can't see them, except for me…..god, I'm so screwed.

I ringed the bell again and after a few seconds I could hear frantic footsteps and a voice shouting;

"I'm coming".

If you're still wondering as to what this story is about; my name is Sasuke Uchiha and I can see ghosts.

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**Drop a review and help me improve!**


	2. Meeting the residents

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

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"I'm coming!"

Shuffling could be heard on the other side of the door before it swung open to reveal a man dressed in sweatpants and a blue T-shirt. He was wearing flip flops and his sun-blond hair was cut short and stuck up at pretty much all angels except for the two bangs that framed his face on either side.  
He looked at me and then the one bag hanging on my shoulder. I could literally see the light bulb turn on above his head as he put two an two together (which is of course, _extremely _difficult…..NOT!).

"Hello Sasuke and….Uhm.." He poked his head out to search the patio for…something.

"Are you…alone?" He said that as if he couldn't believe what he was even saying and his eyes grew when I nodded. Sheesh, was that so hard to understand, there was nobody here but me, of course I'm alone…I always am…

I quickly shook that nasty afterthought out of my mind and started shuffling with my feet, this guy was making me pretty damn nervous with all his staring…like he was checking me for something. My last foster 'dad' always did that before he'd start hitti- NO! I quickly shut my eyes and breathed in deeply through my nose before opening them again. I would not let that get to me, not everyone was out to hurt me…right?

I could feel the doubt begin the grow, as did my panic while staring at my feet. After what felt like an eternity, but in real life were only three seconds I could hear a female voice from somewhere inside the house.

"Minato, is it him!" Minato turned around. But before he could say anything a woman appeared from a doorway to my left.

She was wearing a long white skirt and a green sleeveless top. Her long red hair had been done in a loose ponytail which left a few bangs to frame her face.

Her eyes lit up as she saw us and she walked forward smiling.

"Hello Sasuke, it's so good to see you!" She beamed at me and before anyone could make a move she, quite forcefully, pushed her husband out of the way and gestured for me to come in.

"Please come in. You must be tired from the trip here."

I picked up my bag before I stepped inside and followed Minato to the living room while Kushina closed the door behind me. Once inside I was assaulted by light, there were windows _everywhere_! The walls were like…well…in fact, there weren't any walls, there were just…_windows_. I was thoroughly surprised and the view the windows gave me took my breath away. I faintly heard my bag fall onto the floor with a 'thud' but didn't pay any attention to it.

The garden was…AMAZING! There was a swimming pool and there were trees lining the back, but beyond the trees were endless fields and hills and….and….and even flowers! I could also see three farms so I knew the fields were probably off-limits, but still, the view…

"…Wow….."

I couldn't really control my vocal chords so my voice acted on its own, but what I was seeing was absolutely stunning. The garden itself was just one big grass field with the aforementioned swimming pool, some seats and a table and a dog house. I could remember something about them having a dog and how I was secretly excited about that, but now, the sun shining on the surface of the pool was somehow extremely beautiful and the neatness and cleanliness surprised me. Looking at this house from the front, you had no idea it was this amazing inside, even the living room itself.

It had hardwood floors and fluffy white couches with one brown armchair. A TV was in the corner on my left and there were family pictures on the 'walls', which were just the pieces of wood between the windows keeping them upright. The whole house just screamed 'RELAX' and a sense of ease washed over me. I'd only been to the countryside once but now I knew just how much I had missed it. This place was just like living near the sea, like the beach house we used to visit in the sum-.

I immediately glanced down and cut off that line of thought. I wasn't going to think about them, I didn't want to feel sad…not now.

"Yeah…so, this is the living room. Would you like to see the rest of the house too or would you like to unpack first."

Blinking a few times I noticed the questions had been directed at me and I looked up while I slowly nodded.

"…..Yeah…."

Minato now looked at me a little confused and I realized that my answer had made no sense whatsoever. Clearing my throat I shook away the amazed state the sight had left me in and gave a more understandable answer.

"Yeah, I'll unpack first…Sir." I added the 'Sir' quickly and looked down again hoping Minato hadn't noticed. The last time I had forgotten to say 'Sir'…well…let's just say I have the scars to make sure I never did it again.

"Uhm…Okay than…NARUTO!" I flinched at the raising of Minato's voice. "GET DOWN HERE, NOW!"

The name sounded extremely familiar, Naruto…Naruto…..Oh right, they already had a son, someone my age apparently. The agency hoped it would cause a bond to form between us quicker. Yeah right, what a load of bull.

"NARU-"

"YEAH YEAH! Hold you horses. Sheesh I'm down already."

A blond kid who could have been a young clone of Minato jumped the last few stairs of the staircase before landing in front of Kushina. He was wearing white shorts and a faded orange T-shirt with the word 'Uzumaki' written diagonally across it. He had a tanned skin and whisker like marks on both of his cheeks. When his eyes fell upon me he smiled a goofy grin before walking towards me and reaching out his hand.

"Hy, I'm Naruto. You're…Sasuke, right?"

I slowly nodded and ever so carefully reached out my hand and fleetingly touched his before pulling it back to my side again. He looked a little set back about this but the smile quickly reappeared as he turned to address Minato.

"What'd you call me for dad?"

Minato sighed with a smile on his face. "Could you show Sasuke here his room, I need to make a little phone call." His eyes darkened when he said that last part but it quickly disappeared. Naruto's face still held that goofy grin as he nodded his head already trying to make eye contact with me again.

"Alright! Let's go!"

Blinking a few times I noticed Naruto's face was suddenly inches away from mine…it was close…_too_ close. Suddenly an image of a drunken man with bloodshot green eyes and an empty beer bottle held high holding my neck and nearly touching my nose with his flooded into my brain making me flinch back and defensively raise my arms as I started to panic. I stepped back only to trip and fall. I tried to crawl back up really fast only to winch when I used my bad wrist, the one that had been broken about three weeks back.

Then, out of nowhere two hands held onto my shoulders making me freeze. Breathing fast and feeling like my heart was going to burst right out of my chest I slowly looked up to be met with deep blue eyes…_blue, not green…blue_. The panic wore of a little as I quickly stood up and picked up my bag while doing so. Everybody just stood there for a minute or so until Minato cleared his throat and spoke up.

"Okay, well…off you go, you know which room it is."

The blonde, Naruto, snapped into attention and reached out to grab my arm only to change his mind and motion for me instead.

"Come on, it's upstairs on the left. I hope you'll like it, those two have been making a real fuss about what color they should paint it. They even went as far as asking everyone who knew you what your favorite was." Here he snickered a little while walking up the stairs and down a hallway as if remembering something funny. He stopped in front of a blue door.

The color surprised me and made me look back into the hallway (apparently my room was on the very end) and I felt as if I was in an all kids house. The doors all had different colors, one even had two! The door a few meters away from mine was orange, than there was a door which was plain white and a door with red and green on the opposite wall. Finding all this a little confusing I just followed Naruto into my room. I put my bag next to my bed and looked around to see the whole room was different shades of blue, even the carpet was a dark velvety kind of blue. The sheets were blue with white stripes and I had a desk with a chair and a closet…a BIG closet next to it. Even the curtains were a very dark shade of blue, which I was silently thankful for since I couldn't sleep with light in my room. But, the weirdest thing was, everything was…just…_perfect_. I adored the color blue and I never liked too much stuff in my room, and, turning back to my bed I suddenly realized something… IT WAS A KINGSIZED BED!

I could hardly contain my joy, this was all for me? Without thinking I turned around, again, and fell back first onto the bed…even the mattress felt perfect. Laying there I stared up to the ceiling with a hint of a smile on my face…until I heard an amused chuckle from my left and remembered I wasn't alone. I sat up with wide eyes hoping I hadn't done anything wrong ready to apologize (even though I HATED doing that, it was still better than being a living punching bag). But all I saw was Naruto grinning foolishly while walking out the door.

"I'll let you unpack and…stuff. Just call if you need something and when you're done just come downstairs, dad's making dinner."

With that he closed the door and left me to myself in the room…_my_ room. With that thought I fell right back onto my bed and couldn't help but grin just a teeny tiny bit, which was something big for me.

After laying there for a while I decided I'd better put my stuff away, which was quickly done seeing as I never really unpacked anymore and the only things I actually owned were a few clothes and an old photograph. I dumped my entire bag with clothes in the closet and took out the photograph…

It had been taken on the day of _the accident_. On it my mum and dad were kneeling behind me and my brother with their arms around the both of us and a smile of pure joy on their faces. My brother had an arm around me and was making a peace sign with his other hand while a huge grin was planted on his face. And I…I was _laughing_. I could still remember that even though my brother and I fought a lot, he had been my hero, the one I'd look up to. And I had felt so happy that day, that one moment everything had been perfect in my life. I hadn't even known what the word sadness could really mean. But I had found out soon enough…that night….and people wondered why I never liked to celebrate my birthday. Why would I when…when…..

My vision blurred and a few tears fell from my eyes before I squeezed them close and quickly put the picture under my pillow. Taking a few deep breaths I tried to get myself under control again, this was not the time to get all mushy. Taking another quick look at the room I decided I might as well go downstairs. There wasn't any harm in it…right?

Walking out into the hallway and towards the stairs the question about the doors popped into my head again. I'd have to ask about that at some point or it'd never leave me alone. I started walking down the stairs when I felt something cold next to me. I shuddered and looked at my left trying to find the source of the sudden draft. What I saw, however, was **not** a draft, but before I could do anything it came right at me causing me to flinch and close my eyes. Not good.

.

.

.

.

I opened my eyes slowly only to squint them against the sunlight.

'_Wait…sunlight? Wasn't I inside?'_

I opened my eyes fully again…and _crap_ I swear I had a heart attack right then and there. I was standing on a balcony or something, sort of, above a pool. But usually there would be a railing between you and a certain fall…that was not the case here. Instead of the railing being in front of me, I was in front of the railing, with my heels on solid ground and my arms hooked around the railing. I let out a shaky breath as I continued to stare down….how in god's name had I ever gotten here? Where was here? I tried to move but nearly lost my footing and therefore stopped trying to do that. I started to panic, I couldn't remember anything but standing on the stairs and feeling…..

My eyes grew wide with realization. A choked sound at my right made me turn…and grip onto the railing tighter when I nearly lost my footing again.

That man from earlier was there, he was soaking wet and his left side of his face was smeared with blood. He was reaching for me with his right arm and opened his mouth, causing water to flow out of it. The whole sight left me shaking harder. Why oh WHY did one of them have to haunt this place, couldn't they just leave me alone!

"What do you want from me!"

He opened his mouth again and choked out a word that was nearly impossible to understand…nearly.

"D-dea-t-thhhh."

My eyes grew, if possible, even larger and I could feel my heart speed up. It felt like I was having a full blown panic attack with the way my brain was being…well…non-responsive. In a flash he was gone and the next second it felt as if someone was pulling my shoulders forward. The unexpected movement of my upper body caused me to loose my footing.

The last thing I remembered was screaming before everything went black.


	3. That was too fast!

**Disclaimer: See chapter one**

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Shooting upright in less than a second…left me utterly confused?

Wasn't I supposed to be either falling towards a certain doom or be dead already? Looking around I realized I was in my room, and that my weight was leaving a dent in the mattress, which meant I couldn't be dead since I wouldn't even be able to touch it anymore if I was. So…it had all been a dream?

I stood up and immediately felt dizzy. Holding my head I slowly sunk to my knees.

What the hell had happened?

Suddenly something by the bed caught my eye. My bag.  
But, hadn't I put that bag in the closet, and the photo underneath my pillow and then I had decided to go downst-.

I immediately got up and opened the closet…nothing was in there that belonged to me. Quickly striding over to my bed and flipping the pillow off of it….I didn't see the photograph.

Now thoroughly confused and slightly panicky I grabbed my bag and tore it open only to find my stuff _and_ the picture in it….I had never taken it out….than how?

Placing the picture underneath my other pillow I slowly sat down on my bed. I was shaking slightly; the whole dream/vision thing had left me pretty worked up. I put my head in my hands and took a couple of deep breaths.

I knew the only explanation for all of this was that one of _them_ was here, in this house…haunting the place. The fact that they could communicate with me, even through my dreams, was something extremely annoying. This was because when I was awake I could at least ignore them, so they wouldn't figure out I could see them. But when they invaded my dreams (I still don't know if they do this intentionally or unintentionally) they immediately know I can see them, as 'normal' people don't react to them.

That's why I knew I was in biiiiig trouble. Now that the ghost knew _I_ knew it was there, I don't think it will leave me alone…they never do.

Sighing I rubbed my temples; this was the fastest so far one had found me. I usually had a few days before I saw one and than a week or so before they found out I could see them. But this ghost; it had just made things a whooooole lot harder.

I. Was. So. Screwed.

A knock on my door nearly made me scream. I caught myself just in time and instead of making an utter fool out of myself the first few hours I just said a small 'come in' before the door was opened to reveal a mob of unruly blond hair and two sky-blue eyes.

"Hey, are you done with the unpacking. 'Cause dinner's on the table and it's a shame if it get's cold."

That same goofy grin from before was on Naruto's face and as I nodded and stood up on shaky legs he turned around and said.

"Good, 'cause damn man, I'm starving!"

He marched out in front of me and nearly jumped down the entire staircase with a loud 'thump' at which a female voice from inside the living room yelled;

"How many times do I have to tell you Naruto, NO jumping down the stairs!"

The blonde just grinned and walked into the living room with me following a few seconds afterwards seeing as I had no intention of breaking my neck and had therefore walked down the stairs instead of jumping.

Upon entering the room and sitting down at the table, a delicious scent made its way to me.

Spaghetti.

I felt like drooling. I hadn't eaten all day (don't ask) and I was seriously hungry! Which is why, as Minato took a seat across from me, my stomach growled. Loudly.  
Everybody was quiet before they all started laughing. I, an the other hand, felt more like blushing but refrained from doing so and instead just looked down at my plate feeling a little uncomfortable with everyone's attention directed at me.

Still chuckling a little Minato suddenly took my plate from under my nose (literally) and before I could say anything, dumped a fair amount of spaghetti, then sauce and then cheese on my plate before setting it back in front of me.

"Bon appétit."

I nodded and waited until everyone had something on their plate before grabbing my fork and restraining myself from literally digging in. I was, however, the only one on my side of the table who did so, seeing as Naruto was slurping and munching away happily.

I could see that Kushina was not really pleased by this as she sighed and gave Naruto a glare. For a moment I was afraid something was going to happen, and something did. But, this something wasn't something I had expected. It was…nearly…_funny_.

Minato looked at his wife and then at his son before shaking his head and saying; "Naruto, you're doing it again." Naruto looked up and immediately turned bright red. He then swallowed before laughing awkwardly while rubbing the back of his head.

"Ehehe….sorry?"

The apology was more like a question and even though Kushina was trying to look angry, I could see the corners of her mouth threatening to turn upwards into a smile.

After this everyone resumed eating, civilized in Naruto's case. And Minato and Kushina had a conversation about something I didn't quite get and therefore didn't listen to.

After dinner I went to bed quite early. I was still feeling a little tired and dizzy from the _dream_ earlier and tomorrow I had to go to my new school…whoop-the-fucking-do.

And so it came to be, that as the red numbers on my alarm clock read 20:00 I was crawling underneath the sheets of my king sized bed. I only hoped the ghost would just leave me alone so I could get a good night sleep…for once.

…..

As it turned out, it did, and I didn't even see it during breakfast. And god, what a breakfast it was.

Naruto was late (which apparently was nothing new) and Minato couldn't find his keys anywhere (which, again, was apparently nothing new). And so it happened that Kushina and I were standing by the front door watching Naruto and Minato running around like two headless chickens trying to find their stuff, eat breakfast and be ready on time.

Which, as I found out later, they surprisingly were. And, after Kushina had made Minato promise to drive safely and given me a smile and a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder, Minato drove me and Naruto to school.

But, as we neared the school my nerves were flaring as I had never really enjoyed school and starting in a new school every year or so wasn't exactly fun. But still, nothing could be worse than last time, right? I swallowed nervously as Minato stopped in front of the school gates to drop us of. He turned around in the driver seat and handed me a cellphone. I frowned as I took the device from him and was about to question him about it when he beat me to it.

"If something, _anything_, happens then you can always reach me or Kushina. All our numbers are in there and I've even added Naruto's number just in case."

At this last part Minato smiled a warm smile and after a few seconds gestured for us to go.

"Go on, you don't want to be late."

I nodded and didn't really get the chance to say anything as Naruto had already yanked me out of the car and slammed the door shut. He somehow managed to wave at his dad while pushing me through the school gates and I could swear I saw Minato laugh as he waved back at us and drove off.

Naruto dragged me across the schoolyard and into the building by my arm while I looked at the ground the entire time trying to ignore the curious and calculating stares all the other pupils were giving me. Naruto greeted a few of them before he dragged me into a different corridor and out of the 'main stream'.

Then, after one more turn, we ended up at the helpdesk/reception where a woman named Tsunade greeted us. Apparently she and Naruto had a history and I was, yet again, stuck in the middle without a clue.

"Good morning Naruto. And where are we dragging this fine young gentleman to?"

She looked at me and I couldn't help but evade her gaze. I felt like she was checking me out for crying out loud! She's like what, 30!

"To here, he's new and therefore kinda needs his schedule. And you're the one with all that stuff so…"

"Oh yes! The new student. Uhm…Sasuke, if I remember correctly."

She was still looking at me and apparently expected me to answer. I just nodded my head while Naruto let out a loud 'Believe it!'. I mean, god, can he ever not be hyper!

Tsunade then ruffled through some papers before looking at Naruto and saying;

"What are you still standing around for Naruto, is there something else you need?"

"Nope! I'm just gonna wait for Sasuke. He might need a guide."

But before I could say anything whatsoever Tsunade started a full blown rant about being on time, something about something being 'her job' and Naruto being a disgrace for etiquette, all in all, it didn't make that much sense, to me at least. Naruto on the other hand was sweat dropping and slowly edging backwards.

He looked at me, then at Tsunade and then back at me with a bit of a pleading look in his eyes. Getting the hint I nodded and made a small shooing movement with my hand indicating it was okay for Naruto to make a run for it. Frankly, if I were in his shoes I'd probably do the same thing. Tsunade was still going on and on about…stuff and I had no intention to get on her bad-side already by making her shut up. Therefore I waited until the bell rang which snapped her back into the present.

She looked around a bit foolishly before her eyes fell on me and she smiled…creepy… She then proceeded to hand me two papers (my schedule and a map of some sort) and told me to follow here to my class. As we were walking I tried to take in which turns we took and where we went up and down. The problem was, this school seemed to be designed so that it was impossible to follow where one was going…fantastic. (being sarcastic here people, being sarcastic.)

She eventually stopped in front of room 106, looking at my schedule I saw I had chemistry the first TWO hours on Monday. I did a full face-palm in my head and yet looked calm (sort of) and collected on the outside. Tsunade told me to wait for a minute and went in.

After only a few seconds she came back out again, together with a grey-haired man who was wearing polished black shoes, an ironed pair of jeans, a button-up shirt and a white lab coat to finish his oh so beautiful look (again, being sarcastic…_very_). He nodded to Tsunade and then maneuvered me into the classroom before making me stop right in front of everybody (embarrassing) and calling for their attention (again, embarrassing).

"Okay, settle down now. We have a new student today and therefore, before we start, why don't you introduce yourself."

That last part was spoken to me, and the class was now quiet with the occasional whisper and snicker. I cleared my throat and tried to sound as normal and cool as possible.

"Hy, my name is Sasuke Uchiha. I'm sixteen and…that's all."

At this the teacher looked a little shocked and disappointed but he quickly composed himself and, finally, told me his own name.

"Welcome Sasuke, I'm Mr. Mizuki. And…why don't you go sit in the back, next to Obito."

I followed Mr. Mizuki's finger and found a boy with black gravity defying hair and near black eyes, clad in black/blue-ish shorts and a grey shirt staring at me quite disturbingly. The most remarkable thing about him, however, was the orange pair of goggles that was perched triumphantly on his forehead.

I tried to look confident as I walked to the back of the class and I had the feeling it was working quite well as nothing had been thrown at my head yet…painful memory. I dropped my bag next to my table and quickly took a seat. As soon as I had sat down Mr. Mizuki started talking about chemical reactions and something that had to do with the density of water. I didn't really pay attention as I would rather read the textbook than listen to some teacher drone on and on making me fall asleep and get into trouble. I therefore chose to open my textbook and look like I was actually paying attention, while in reality I was starting to grow annoyed by the fact that Obito-kid hadn't taken his eyes off of me since I had sat down.

After a few more minutes I was fed up with his behavior and turned in my seat to face him fully. He flinched a little but before he even opened his mouth I had already cut him of, maybe a little too harshly.

"What do you want."

He blinked a few times and I swear I could see a flash of pain in his eyes, but that quickly vanished and was replaced by an unnerving curiosity.

"Your name is Sasuke _Uchiha_?"

"Yes." Hadn't I just said that in front of the class?

"Cool! Maybe we're related or something. My name is Obito Uchiha!"

He offered me his hand but I was saved from any physical contact by a book falling onto our table, successfully scaring both of us half to death.

"If Mr. Uchiha and Mr….uhm…Uchiha….whatever, if you could please be quiet, I can actually try and teach you something."

The teacher looked at us both once more before walking back to the front of the class and resuming his boring speech. That had been close.

Apparently Obito thought the same as he didn't really address me anymore. But, his name did left me wondering. His last name was also Uchiha, could he be related? He nearly had to be, the name 'Uchiha' wasn't that popular. But, if that was true, why hadn't I known. Everybody always told me I had no more living relatives while Obito could easily be just that…?

After a bit more puzzling I decided to let the problem rest for now. It wasn't as if I was going to get any answers anyway. I just leant back and tried to be ignorant to the, now, calculating looks Obito was occasionally giving me.

The rest of the day was nearly just as boring. Luckily, during the lunch break, I wasn't the weird new kid with absolutely no friends who sat alone in a corner reading or doing his/her homework. I sat with Naruto and his…gang.

There was a very quiet eerie kid with short red hair and greenish eyes surrounded by a thick layer of eyeliner called Gaara. He looked like a demon or something, yet Naruto assured me he was an okay guy. You just didn't want to get on his bad side, or meet him in a dark alley…or any alley whatsoever.  
Anyway, next to him was, yet another, silent guy. Only this one looked les menacing with his long black hair and grey eyes. And even though Neji (as was his name) was quiet, he at least said 'hi' when being introduced, something which Gaara conveniently forgot.

Next to Neji was a guy with his black/brown hair sticking out to every direction yet falling down on his shoulders. He looked a little…different with the two red triangle striped thingies on both his cheeks. He turned out to be called Kiba and the fact that he loved dogs and inevitably resembled one to a certain amount was quite amusing.  
Then there was someone with his black hair in a ponytail high up his head sleeping with his head on his arms right on top of the lunch table. His name turned out to be Shikamaru. Needless to say, he didn't say 'hi' either, just like Gaara and that fat thing next to him, Chouji. And even though Naruto warned me never to call him fat, it apparently seriously ticked him off, I might try it once, just to see what happens. It could be fun seeing that guy mad.

But, anyway, last but not least there was Obito. Who was thoroughly surprised when Naruto told him I was a new 'foster kid'. I couldn't really care less, the name stung but I shrugged it off. Instead I somehow ended up talking to Kiba about the dog Naruto had. All in all, it wasn't all that bad as the fiasco of Naruto and the milk carton was just too damn funny to ignore and I found myself smiling at the blond's antics. That was the first time I thought that maybe, just maybe, things would actually get better instead of worse.

If only I hadn't.

It was around a quarter to three. I was walking down an empty hallway seeing as the seventh hour didn't end until ten past three and the whole 'meet your mentor' thing hadn't taken a complete hour. I was therefore wandering through different hallways looking bored while in fact I was near panic as I was totally lost. I didn't feel like taking out that map, I was still a little too proud for that, but the urge to do so was slowly getting stronger. It had already been ten minutes and the exit was nowhere in sight. Who'd have thought this school was so HUGE!

I rounded yet another corner and groaned. Again, nothing but classrooms and no exit. I dragged my feet and slowly took my bag off of my right shoulder. Sighing I pulled out the map Tsunade had given me at the beginning of the day.

I scanned over it quickly trying to make sense of all the different numbers and arrows. I, by now, had stopped walking and if this had been a comic, there would have been a dozen question marks above my head. I mean, this map was more of a puzzle than the building itself, how the hell is this supposed to be helpful!

Now feeling quite pissed I pushed the map into my bag, successfully ripping and crumpling it, which felt a little better. I than proceeded to swing my bag back on my shoulder again. Which never happened.

Instead, it slipped out of my hand mid-swing and ended up being thrown against a wall before slumping down and coming to land on the ground. There it lay, completely still.  
All of this had not taken longer than five seconds, maybe even three.

But, rewinding time, a lot happened in those three to five seconds.

Just before the bag had slipped out of my hand, my entire left arm had gone from normal skin color, to a sickly blue-ish/white. The air in my lungs had went from a living necessity to a personal nightmare of freezing cold gas burning my throat and freezing my lungs themselves. My left leg buckled, sending me to my knees as I struggled to even breath. My vision was swimming as the left side of my body was going numb from the cold, even though my right side was perfectly fine.

I wrapped my arms around myself as I tried to see anything through the tears that blurred my vision. But, as I tried to blink them away, I tried to take another breath as well. This time, however, something went wrong and I ended up coughing, very harshly.

I felt something warm in my mouth and liquid trickled down my chin, but I couldn't stop. The coughs continued and then, just as suddenly as it came, the cold went away.

I was left on my knees, my right arm now leaning on the ground to keep me from toppling forward and my left still around my stomach, the cold feeling still lingering. Breathing still hurt and my throat felt like sand had just passed through. But at least I could breath and the air filling my lungs yet not freezing them was welcomed.

A thud somewhere to my right behind me was heard and I turned slightly to see my bag lying on the floor, completely still and innocent like. Just as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. As if the person standing on my left wasn't even there, as if I just hadn't seen and experienced how this person had died just by him/her touching me, or passing through me, whichever you like.

I really didn't want to talk to a ghost right now, I didn't even wanted it to know I knew it was there. And I was saved from a very annoying predicament by foot steps coming from behind me. The ghost disappeared (why they even run away when people can't see them, don't ask me) and it was then that I was reminded of the situation I was in. I opened my eyes and groaned.

There was blood on the floor and, no doubt, all over my chin and T-shirt. So _that_ had been coming out of my mouth. This was not gonna go down well.

Suddenly the footsteps stopped only to start again a few seconds later only than in a running pace.

"HEY! Are you alri-…SASUKE!"

I recognized the voice and mentally cursed every and any god I knew for hating me this much. It just had to be him. The one person who was, in no way whatsoever, good at keeping things quiet. That I had learned during the break.

Obito… Halle-fucking-luyah.

He skidded to a halt next to me and had me by my shoulders not a second later. He shook me lightly before seeing the blood and paling.

"Holy hell Sasuke, what happened to you. You know what, don't answer that. I'm gonna take you to the nurse first."

I was taken aback by the seriousness in his voice and his ability to keep mindless questions for another time. This did **not** mean, however, I had any intention of going to the school nurse. Unfortunately for me (when is it not?) my voice was still pretty gone, the cause being previous happenings, and I was in no physical condition to object or even fight him seeing as my mind was reeling and I felt like passing out. I was therefore, against my will mind you, guided towards the nurse with surprising care.

Even though the situation was anything but a good one, I was surprised to find Obito carefully helping me up the steps and through the wicked doors (1) while looking quite concerned the entire time, yet eerily calm. Something I wouldn't have thought Obito would've been able to be.

But, as I was still taking deep breaths and trying to swallow away the foul taste of my own blood, Obito knocked on a door and walked in.

"Excuse me, Miss Haruno. I kinda have an emergency here."

I wanted to object but the words wouldn't come out of my mouth and I therefore just gave up and settled for a sigh. I just felt drained after everything that had happened. And people asking all kind of crazy questions wasn't going to help.

Obito eased me down into a chair and suddenly a pair of twinkling green eyes were staring into mine with a worried glance. Pink hair framed the face of a 23 to 25 year old woman who was by now cleaning my chin with a wet cloth.

After a minute of silence she put the cloth away. She told me to look at her and tell here what happened. Not really having an excuse ready I stalled for time by asking her the first question that came to mind.

"What's your name?"

She looked at me a little bewildered before smiling warmly and answering.

"My name is Sakura Haruno. I'm the school nurse. Now, you tell me your name and what happened."

I looked at her and somehow knew she and I would get along just fine, why don't ask me but I've always been able to tell right away if people would clash with me or not.

"It's Sasuke Uchiha. And I don't really know what happened. I was just walking and suddenly I had to cough. Next thing I know Obito was next to me, helping me up."

I don't know why I was telling her the partial truth but I was just too damn tired to think up a lie right now. And besides, this sounded like a good explanation.

I don't know if she thought the same thing but before I could contemplate that particular thought she told me and Obito she'd be right back and said to Obito to keep and eye on me. As if I need a babysitter or something! She then went out the door and left us in silence.

Letting out a quiet breath I sunk down into the plush covered chair, thankful for the fact Ms. Haruno didn't ask a lot of questions. But, I had spoken too soon. Somebody apparently had waited long enough and wanted answers. Yippie.

"Why was your bag all the way behind you?"

It was supposed to be a question, even I knew that, but I couldn't help but feel like Obito was accusing me of something. And that question, how in the world could that be relevant.

I looked up and, again, was a little shocked as to how serious Obito was looking. It was then that I noticed he had my bag in his hands, and why that question _had_ been important.

My bag was covered in a thin layer of ice. I looked at it flabbergasted and hurriedly looked up to see Obito's eyes turned into thin slits as a furious expression suddenly spread across his face. He yanked the bag open and sent stuff flying everywhere. My books, pens and notebooks almost literally exploded into his face making him stumble backwards and hit the wall.

I had nearly jumped up out of my seat to help him when I noticed something. The bottle of water I had filled up just after the sixth hour was now floating in the air, about two meters away from me.

To any other person a floating water bottle was scary enough, but for me it didn't stop there.

There was a person standing with their left side towards me just behind the water bottle giving me and excellent view of…her. Brown straight hair came to her shoulders. A red with black skiing outfit adorned her small figure and black boots could be seen sticking out from underneath her trousers. Her black/brown eyes were fixed on the frightened figure of Obito who was staring wide-eyed at the bottle floating in mid-air.

She had her right arm stretched out and had her hand in a grasping pose, as if she was holding the bottle. I knew that she couldn't and anyone (who could actually see her) could see she wasn't holding it. She was, however, controlling it. I didn't really know how as I had only seen it once before, but I was 100% sure she was doing this. The 'why', on the other hand, was a complete mystery to me.

"W-what the hell are you doing!"

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Obito's voice and a small part of me was actually mad at him for thinking I was doing _anything_. But his frightened eyes and the quiver in his voice made it painfully clear to me he was just scared as hell.

"What are you doing, STOP IT!"

I was getting a little agitated since everything was now giving me a headache. I had never been in the situation before where a ghost made him/herself known to anyone who couldn't see them, in other words anyone but me.

But just as I was about to tell him to shut it, I saw exactly why he was finally raising his voice to me.  
The water was freezing. Literally.

The water in the bottle was slowly turning into ice, making the bottle crack seeing as ice takes in more place than water. But, before either of us could come over our shock of water freezing out of the apparent nowhere, the ghost moved her hand just a fraction. But that was enough.

The now frozen water bottle was sent flying towards Obito's head. I was sure it was going to hit him and either put him in a coma or kill him on impact. You can imagine my surprise when he actually managed to duck just before the flying projectile intending to kill him finished its job, sending it into the wall. Again, literally.

All this time I had just sat there staring with wide-eyes at everything going on in front of me. But now things were getting out of control. I now knew this girl wanted to seriously hurt Obito and seeing as I can't really let someone get murdered (I do have a heart you know), I was first going to figure out _why_ she even wanted to hurt him in the first place.

And so, throwing out all the promises and restrictions I hade made and set for myself, I decided to try and talk to her. Oh joy.

"What do you want with him?"

Two pair of eyes were now fixed on me. One with a fair amount of fear and utter confusion, and one dead looking pair that looked ready to kill…which they probably were.

"You can see me…can't you."

Her voice was smooth and cold. No emotion could be detected and I could feel a shiver run up my spine. Obito on the other hand was still as confused as ever.

"Yes, now what do you want."

"What does who want? What are talking about man!"

"SHUT **UP** OBITO!"

He looked at me with a very startled look on his face but I wasn't paying any attention to him anymore. My eyes were solely fixed on the girl in front of me who had yet to speak.

She suddenly looked away from me and stared at Obito again while slowly raising her right arm and pointing at the only occupant in the room who was still left in the dark while saying.

"He killed me. And now I'm going to return the favor."


	4. Something new

Okay, well...hy.

Long time no write and I'm soooooo sorry. I just completely had a total lack of inspiration. BUT! I'm back and I still _**love**_ writing about the Naruto characters. So...please R&R?

**Disclaimer: (see chapter one)**

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He…...WHAT!

She just stood there pointing towards Obito who was still staring at me. Sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. Trapped.

I replayed her words in my head; he killed me…killed me. But…that couldn't be true. I had seen **and **experienced her death. She hadn't been murdered, she….

"That's impossible. You froze to death, no one killed you."

Obito's expression went form confused to shock in less than a second and the ghost let out an inhuman shriek.

"HE **KILLED** ME! _**HE KILLED ME**_!"

"OBITO DIDN'T KILL YOU 'CAUSE YOU WEREN'T EVEN MURDERED!"

I. Was. Pissed.

I knew I should be freaked out or scared or something, but this ghost just comes out of nowhere, ruining my non-existent reputation and than talks about being murdered by the same guy who just happens to be in the room with us resulting in her trying to kill _him_. Everything was giving me a headache and I had already been tired. I rubbed my temples while breathing in and out heavily. I turned to the ghost again and tried to keep my temper in check…a little.

"Look. I'll ask him okay. What's your name?"

She just sneered at me before breaking eye contact and turning towards Obito again, concentrating on the ice-bottle that was still embedded into the wall above Obito's head. But I had had enough of this little 'game' she was trying to play with me. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

"Don't you even try and ignore me. What's your fucking name."

"I'm not gonna tell you. He will. It'll be the last thing he will ever say in his _life_."

"Well, I'd like to hear it from you so spill."

.

.

"HEY! Girl with the red and black skiing jacket, I'm talking to you!"

Suddenly Obito's face paled and he shakily stood up, eyes fixed on me. She just stood there, her concentration gone from the bottle and now fixed on Obito's face.

"W-what did you say…"

The look on Obito's face scared me. The emotions running through his eyes just made him look so…so…_fragile_. But it was only there for a second. If you had blinked you would have missed it. Out of the blue, Obito stood up, strode over to me and grabbed me by the front of my shirt. All in a matter of seconds.

The girl/ghost was also a little shocked by this and turned around as soon as Obito walked right through her.

"What the HELL do you think you're DOING! Frozen bags and water bottles? Throwing that last one straight at me and on top of all that, you completely ignore me and pretend there is someone else in the room! Do you think I'm stupid. Or maybe you find this funny! Well, let me tell you, IT'S NOT! So you better knock it off right now, 'cause I swear to god if you don't I'll…I'll…AARGH!"

He shoved me backwards with a scream making me trip and fall while he sunk to his knees with his head in his hands. I was now sitting on the floor staring at Obito a little clueless. I had NOT been expecting that outburst. The girl/ghost also looked a little surprised and for the first time I actually believed she had been human once. The killing intent in her eyes had lifted a little and she was looking at Obito as if in trance.

I was still trying to figure out just exactly what had made Obito this mad. Repeating everything in my head I came to one conclusion; the red and black skiing jacket. After I had said that, Obito freaked. So that meant, he knew or had known somebody with a red and black skiing jacket. But also, that that person had, apparently, meant something to him. Or else he wouldn't react like this. So….maybe I should ask? Oh well, either that or that girl is going to remember pretty soon what she came here for and finish the job.

"Hey Obito. Did you know a girl with a red and black skiing jacket…..someone who froze to death."

After my question everyone was eerily quiet. But, I did notice that Obito was crying. He wasn't making a sound but tears slowly trickled down his cheeks and landed on his legs which were folded beneath him. The girl was still standing there, not moving and seemingly lost in a world of her own.

"…Rin…She died one year ago."

Obito slowly took his hands out off his hair and placed them on his knees while taking a deep breath. So that girl was named Rin eh. Maybe now we're finally getting somewhere. But still, that one question I had to ask, although I already knew the answer. I also knew that if I asked Obito that one thing he'd probably flip. Completely. I just hoped that would prove to Rin that he really hadn't killed her.

"Obito. Did you, or anyone, kill Rin?"

I don't know why I added the 'or anyone'. It just seemed to make the blow a little softer. The look Obito gave me proved me wrong…very wrong.

"How the HELL could you even **ask** that! You don't know what happened! You don't know me, you don't know Rin…you don't know anything!"

"Right now I know a hell of a lot more than you do!"

By now we were both standing and Rin was a little forgotten.

"Oh yeah! Than why are you asking such useless questions! What's it to you, huh, you don't know Rin! She was my friend, not yours, I knew her my entire life, not you, and I found her **dead, not **_**you**_!"

Tears were still slowly falling from Obito's eyes, but now his head was bowed and he was sniffing and shaking while his hands were balled into fists at his sides. His breathing was hard and irregular and his stand was rigid, even though he looked extremely breakable.

I didn't know what to do, or what to say. Things were finally beginning to make sense, but…I just…...felt so…so _bad_ for making Obito cry. I was at a complete loss for words, though that didn't apply for the dead occupant of the room.

"…You…found me?"

Her voice was soft and when I looked at her, she seemed like a totally different person. Her big brown eyes were soft and fragile looking and her voice had finally expressed some sort of emotion, confusion and sadness. For the first time I could believe that she had once been a nice girl.

There was still one little problem though, her eyes were fixed on Obito but he could neither see nor hear her. Meaning he had no idea that she was even here, or that she had just asked him a question. And therefore, I was about to do something extremely stupid, but hey, wasn't that what I had been doing for the past few minutes.

"Yes, Rin. He found you. You froze to death…remember?"

And again, two pair of eyes were fixed on me. Obito looked ready to either fall apart or snap at me again, Rin, however, held a fair amount of understanding in her eyes. It seemed Obito's little outburst had shaken her awake and, finally, showed her the truth.

"You're sick, even after everything I've told you, you just won't stop. What the fuck do you want from me! Do you like seeing me like this, is that it!"

Okay, snapping at me it was then. Now let's see if I can explain this crazy and fucked up situation to him.

"No, of course not!"

"Then why the hell do you keep acting as if you're talking to _Rin_?"

"Because I am."

"She's **dead** you crazy idiot!"

"I KNOW! Why do you think I'm the only one who can see and hear her!"

.

.

.

After that comment Obito's eyes grew exceptionally big and he reeled back.

"…W-what…?"

I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes, I had messed up…big time. And frankly I had no idea as to how I was supposed to prove this to him. Agency, here I come…once again.

"Tell him the truth, I'll help you."

Rin's voice made me look up.

"Tell him to ask any question about me, something only he and I know, I'll help you prove it to him."

I blinked twice before the information had sunk in.

She actually wanted me, to tell him…about me?

I looked at Obito's face…and felt it again. That pain of being rejected, of being thought of as some crazy idiot out to hurt people for his own fun. I didn't want to feel it, I didn't want to be thought of like that…not anymore.

I made up my mind, took a deep breath, and started talking.

"I can see ghosts. I've been able to see them since I was eight. Rin is here right now and to prove this pretty improbable story to you…ask me anything about her, ask me something only Rin would know and I'll prove to you that she's here."

That sounded crazy even to my own ears. Yet I still hoped with my entire being that Obito would believe me. I was so tired of being rejected, of being laughed or yelled at. I just needed_ someone_ to finally believe me.

Obito looked…well…I think stunned is a pretty good way of summing it up. His eyes had gone as wide as they could possible become and his mouth was hanging open. He kinda gave me the feeling that there was no way I was going to get _any_ response out him.

I was now very, **very** frustrated and felt my headache grow worse, how in the world was I going to fix this?

"Call him Ito and ask him if the peanut butter jar is still in his backyard underneath the roses filled with our drawings for when aliens come to earth a gazillion years from now.

Nothing of what she had just said to me made any sense but I just decided to go with it, it's not like I had any other, more appealing options.

"Ito, she wants to know if the peanut butter jar is still in your backyard underneath the roses filled with your drawings for when aliens come to earth a…gazillion years from now?"

Now **that** got a reaction out of him.

"N-no way….There's no way you could know that…."

Obito took a step back while I sighed and bowed my head, there was no way he was going to believe me, was there? A gasp from Obito made me look back up and I could honestly say the sight that met my eyes was one I had never seen before in my life.

Rin was standing on Obito's left side and her hand was lying on/hovering above his shoulder. Obito was shaking but he slowly brought his right hand to rest on his left shoulder…it was like he could _feel _her! His head turned to the side and even though he had no idea as to where her eyes were he looked in her direction and a soft whisper left his lips.

"…Rin…"

For a moment I could do nothing but blink. This was pretty darn new for me. Then Obito smiled while a few more tears strolled down his cheeks. His left hand slowly lifted and stopped just before Rin's chest, or more precisely, the point where her heart would be.

"Oh my god….s-she's really here, isn't she?"

His head turned again and he looked at me with tears shimmering in his eyes.

"Isn't she?"

I was too shocked to say anything and could only nod my head. Obito swallowed audibly while his smile stayed intact and his gaze was once again directed towards Rin's general direction.

"Can she hear me?"

Now _there's_ a question I had not expected. I quickly shook the shock away and cleared my throat.

"Y-yes, she can hear you."

Obito took a deep breath and I felt like I was about to witness and maybe intrude on something extremely personal.

"Hey Rin…long time no see, huh.."

A sad nostalgic smile was on Obito's lips as he directed all his attention towards the, to him, invisible girl.

"I…well I…I'm just **so** sorry! I should have gone with you on the mountains. I should have never let you go on your own. I knew you were good but I was just tired and being a total ass and…and.. "

Obito choked up as the tears came in full force. He looked down as he tried to get a hold of himself while his body was shaking from the emotional strain he was under.

Rin's expression could be described by saying she looked like a mother watching her child. Her eyes were fond but her eyebrows were drawn indicating she was also feeling sad. She stepped even closer to Obito making his hand disappear into her chest. She then slowly turned her head and looked at me. If I didn't know better I'd say she was crying.

"Tell him to stop blaming himself. I remember now and he had nothing to do with it. I was stupid to think I could make that ramp on my own in the dark. I remember his face looking down on me and I was so hurt by the thought that he could have had something to do with it…but he didn't, he was actually coming to look for me…to save me."

She was still looking at me and her gaze was soft. I could feel my hands trembling with the effort it took for my brain to wrap itself around the concept I was actually having a civilized conversation with a _ghost_! She suddenly laughed and the sound was light and soft.

"Thank you for helping me see things for what they were. Can you please do the same for Obito?"

She turned back to Obito and her smile grew wide as she held her hand in his hair electing another small gasp from the black-haired boy.

"He's the best friend I ever had, please make sure he knows that."

My brain was still kind of malfunctioning and all I could do was shakily nod my head.

"…Is she saying something?"

Obito's voice caused me to blink and I cleared my throat before I answered.

"Y-yeah. She wants you to stop blaming yourself a-and she needs you to know you're the best friend she ever had."

Obito nodded while his smile grew exponentially and his eyes brightened. Suddenly he frowned and his arm dropped back to his side. He looked at me and phrased a question that appeared to be bugging him.

"Is she supposed to stay here?"

I blinked a few times and the expression on my face could be summed up by the word; _huh?_ Obito started fiddling with his shirt as he started to stutter.

"I-I mean, do all ghost kinda hang around here or…is there really some sort of afterlife?"

His eyes were guarded yet curious and I could honestly say that no one has **ever** asked that…._I_ have never even asked that! It was Rin, however, who answered his question.

"I think there is some sort of afterlife…I think some people just get stuck here when they can't let certain things go."

I nodded at that, it sort of made sense I guess. At Obito's clueless expression I quickly told him what Rin had said to me.

"So she's going…like…up now?"

His question was phrased a little childlike but I got the gist of it. And as I looked at Rin I noticed that she appeared to be getting brighter. I mean, ghosts usually give of a certain light, but she was getting brighter by the second and I felt like I was looking at the sun. But just as her body was completely engulfed with light she said one more thing.

"Don't be afraid to ask for help. Not everyone is like the others."

And then she was gone.

I was stunned for a moment and then looked around the room. My bag was lying next to the door and its content was back where it belonged. My water bottle was lying on the floor innocently and the hole it had made in the wall was gone. Obito was standing across from me blinking his eyes before he pretty much fell into the chair by the door.

I followed his example and all but crashed back into the chair I had been pushed into when first stepping into the office…speaking of which…? I looked at the clock and saw that the whole ordeal hadn't taken longer than five minutes.

'_God, it felt like an eternity!'_

It was then I felt Obito's eyes on me and the thought that he now knew my deepest and darkest secret settled into my head…uhm…

"So…she's gone now right?"

It was more like a statement concealed in a question but I nodded nonetheless.

"And, uhm, she's not the first one you…uh.."

I sighed and tipped my head back so I was looking at the ceiling.

"She's the first I've ever seen crossing over, but she's not the first ghost I've come across, no."

I looked back and saw Obito nodding to himself absentmindedly. I sighed again and pulled myself upright in my chair, who knew talking a ghost out of killing someone could be so exhausting?

"Obito, I know this is a lot to…process. But-"

Obito shot upright and started waving his arms around.

"Oooh don't worry! I won't tell anyone, not a soul, I promise!"

I was a little shocked to see him acting the way he was. There was no shock, fear or even anger, just some weird sort of acceptance. He looked at me with a slight grin and puffy eyes, but before I could say (or think) anything else the door opened and Ms Haruno stepped back in.

"Well Sasuke, I've called your uhm…I've called Mrs Namikaze and she'll be her in a few minutes to pick you up. I told her it'd be best if you'd get checked out in a hospital."

She looked at me and smiled as she sat down at her desk and started to shuffle through her papers. It was then she noticed Obito and told him 'thank you' and that he could go home. (How she didn't notice his puffy red eyes was beyond me, but hey, I'm not complaining)

Obito looked at me and I answered the unspoken question with a nod of my head.

'_I'll be okay..'_

Obito quietly stood up and slipped out of the room but not before turning around and mouthing the words _'thank you'_. I nodded again and he was gone.

I sunk back into my chair but didn't get the chance to get very comfortable as just a few seconds later the door to the nurse's office swung open and crashed into the wall making both me and Ms Haruno jump.

In the doorway stood the unmistakable figure of Kushina Namikaze. Her flame-red hair was loose and one small black clip kept it from falling into her face. She was wearing a pair of dark blue shorts that went just past her knees and a red top with a white blouse. She immediately marched into the office and crouched down in front of me with a worried look on her face.

"Sasuke, are you alright?"

It was a bit of a weird question considering I still had some dried blood on my shirt and I was sitting in the nurse's office, but I nodded anyway.

Ms Haruno came out of her startled state and told Kushina everything that she knew had happened. At the end of her story the worry wrinkles around Kushina's eyes only became worse and she looked at me as if I was going to fall apart any second. She carefully put her hands on my knees and looked me in the eye.

"Sasuke, I know you don't exactly like going to the hospital, but we _have_ to get you checked out okay?"

I have an **extreme** dislike of hospitals; probably because I've already spent more time then I've ever wanted in them. But I knew that, when I looked into Kushina's eyes, refusing to go to one right now might get me sympathy but it would do me absolutely _no_ good. So, although begrudgingly, I nodded my head and mumbled a nearly inaudible agreement.

Kushina squeezed my leg comfortingly and accepted a slip of paper from Ms Haruno. I got up and walked towards the door. Halfway there I nearly jumped when a hand landed on my shoulder, but instead of being restricting it merely rested there; softly conveying a sense of comfort that was both strange and…_nice_.

Kushina kept her hand on my shoulder all the way and didn't let go until we were at her car. She opened the door so I could get in first and then got in herself. She started the car and smiled one of those I'm-really-worried-but-don't-want-to-show-it smiles before she eased the car off of the school grounds.

I sunk back in the chair and stared out the window while I nodded every now and again in response to the story Kushina was telling.

...A trip to the hospital, huh.

_'Whoop-the friggin'-do...'_


	5. Death comes looking

Dinner was…suffocating.

I had never really been a social person and had always deeply appreciated my privacy, which is why The Namikaze's were starting to get on my nerves.

After the visit to the hospital, Kushina and I had arrived home to be greeted by a nervous Naruto and an overbearingly worried Minato. Dinner had already been made and we all sat down to eat, even though I am still extremely tempted to ask if I could skip it (but considering the fact they keep on telling me to 'have some more' I doubt they'll let me go quite so easily).

Kushina had told Naruto and Minato what the doctor had said, which was actually totally nothing. The guy hadn't been able to find anything _physically_ wrong with me (which, of course, was true) and had therefore told Kushina to keep an eye on me the next few weeks and call if it happened again. But, from the looks on Kushina's and Minato's face, they did not really buy that _at all_.

Therefore I was now sitting at the dinner table, playing around with my pancakes and feeling very self-conscious. Minato had tried to engage me in conversation, but my one-word-answers had made that quite difficult. That's why, after fifteen minutes of half-answered questions and uncomfortable silences in between, Naruto had started talking about his day at school (I was beginning to think that guy didn't like silences of _any_ kind). His parents were pretending to listen while they kept looking at me until one of them asked the question that was to be expected; it was Minato.

"Aren't you hungry Sasuke?"

It meant so much more than merely wondering about my appetite. It was another concealed attempt at trying to figure out what was 'going on' with me, and quite frankly, I was just too tired to subtly dance around it. Consequences be damned, I _had_ to get out of this room **now**!

"Not really….I'm tired, I'm gonna go to bed."

And with that statement I stood up and left the room leaving three dumbfounded and slightly worried faces behind.

The moment I entered my room and shut the door I felt the toll this day had taken on me hit me like a sledgehammer. I slowly walked over to my bed and collapsed on top of it. I let out a large sigh and, after just lying there for a minute, kicked of my shoes so I could crawl underneath my sheets. I have no clue why, but being underneath a blanket somehow makes me feel safe…well, sa_fer_. Especially since I had just been pretty damn rude by walking out on dinner like that, something that would have earned me a few kicks back…_there_.

I knew I was still in my clothes but couldn't find myself to care just yet. The blanket that was pulled up to my chin and the fact that I was beyond tired were keeping me from worrying about nearly anything. The only thing I just couldn't get out of my head was that one sentence that ghostgirl Rin said to me; _'Don't be afraid to ask for help. Not everyone is like the others.'_

What in the wholy world was **that** supposed to even _mean_?

Was she talking about my foster parents, or maybe about the kids at school…she might have been talking about the ghosts..? But even if she was, how could she know anything about _any_ of that? I turned in my bed and pressed my head into my pillow to try and get the questions out. I had only been here a day, a goddamn _day_, and nothing made sense anymore. No one had yelled at me or looked at me disgusted and/or afraid. I had met a ghost who had (after she had stopped trying to kill Obito) talked to me _civically_ and then crossed over. My current house was haunted yet the ghost seemed to have disappeared and to top it all off, somebody now knew of what I could do…or see for that matter.

I think it is safe to say things were kinda getting out of my control, and I _hate_ it when that happens.

I didn't have time to think on the subject any more as a knock on my door made me freeze; even my breath stopped halfway down my throat. I still didn't know if I should be afraid of the Namikaze's or not. Naruto seemed okay (annoying like hell and very loud, but okay), but what was I supposed to make of Kushina and especially Minato.

Another knock and a voice came from the other side of the door.

"Sasuke, can I come in?"

I recognised the voice as Kushina's and forced myself to relax and _breathe_. I had just spend most of the day with her and she seemed pretty nice. I sat up in bed and, after fixing my hair a little, answered her question.

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened and Kushina walked over to my bed. She sat on the edge, folded her hands on her legs and looked me straight in the eye; she was all business.

"Sasuke, the doctor said that you were fine and I believe that. But what happened to you at school doesn't _just_ happen, there had to be some sort of reason for it-

Oh, if she only knew.

- and therefore I am not at all comfortable with you going to school tomorrow. If you don't mind, then I would like you to stay home, at least tomorrow and then we'll see how it goes, okay?"

I wasn't entirely sure if this was a question but the prospect of not having to go to school the next day and having a bit more time to try and deal with _everything_ was extremely appealing; I nodded and Kushina smiled. I figured nodding had been the right action here.

"Good, we'll try and be quiet so that you can sleep in. Minato took the day off, so you won't be alone-

…CRAP!

-because Naruto and I both have a long day."

She was looking at me again and, despite the fact my airway was closing in on itself, I nodded. She smiled again (she did have a nice smile…God Sasuke, stop you moron!) and patted my leg.

"I'll let you get some sleep, and don't worry about getting behind in school, I'll work something out with your teachers."

With that she left and I was yet again alone in my room. I think if anyone could see me right now, they'd describe my facial expression as 'dumbfounded'…it hurts to admit they'd be right. This entire family was one big mystery puzzle for me. Nearly every law I had picked up over the years did **not** apply here, they had their entire own book of rules and forgot to give me a copy.

I shook my head to try and get all of my insecurities and questions out of it (didn't work all that well) and suddenly remembered that tomorrow I was going to be alone with Minato…the father…he didn't look all that bad, right…MAN, what was I _thinking_!

I fell back onto my pillow and groaned; the Namikaze's weren't just getting on my nerves, they were getting **in** them as well.

'…_Awesome…'_

* * *

"MUM, WHERE IS YOUR PHONE AGAIN?"

I opened my eyes with a start and immediately sat up.

"Naruto! Sasuke's sleeping so be _quiet_!"

I recognized Naruto's and Kushina's voice and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.

Then my head snapped up again as I remembered; alone with Minato, good or bad…?

"Found it!"

There was another reprimand from Kushina and a sheepish laugh from Naruto before I heard the sound of the front door closing. Officially alone now…

I hit myself (very rare) and grumbled;

"Shut it moron, it's just a guy, not some psychopath with a love for blood."

I was in the process of getting out of bed before I realized what I had done. I shut my eyes and resisted the urge to scream; Great, now I was talking to _myself_! It wasn't as if people already thought I was crazy or something.

I sighed, gathered up a new set of clothes, shampoo and a towel, and quietly opened the door. I poked my head out and, after a few seconds of quiet debate on whether baths in the morning were okay here, quickly jumped into the bathroom which was right across from my room. I locked the door and nearly hit myself again; God I was acting pathetic this morning!

I dropped my stuff on the cupboard next to the door and crossed the bathroom to turn on the water so that the bath could fill up. After I had found the right temperature I let the water run freely and turned to the mirror to see if I still looked as ghostly as yesterday (don't you just _love_ irony…)

I never expected to see an actual _ghost_ staring at me!

I nearly screamed and stepped backwards only to bump into the bathtub and held onto the edge to keep my footing. The ghost seemed to be inside the mirror, it was the same one I dreamt about and he was just staring at me. I stood there for a few seconds, merely staring at him when suddenly I heard barking coming from downstairs. The sound made me jump and my heart started to beat wildly.

I cursed Bruno for having _the_ worst timing and looked back at my little staring-match-friend…only he wasn't staring anymore. I had to blink a few times to make sure I wasn't imagining things and then slowly took a step towards the mirror.

If I didn't know any better I would say that the ghost in the mirror was _scared_. His eyes were wide and his mouth had opened as if he wanted to scream. His hands were pounding against the inside of the mirror as if he was standing on the other side of a window, but there was no sound. He started to mouth words but still, I couldn't hear a thing.

The whole thing freaked me out a whole lot more than I ever thought it would. If a ghost was scared of something, what was I supposed to be feeling; unrelenting terror?

I opened my mouth to say…_something_, when he just vanished. I blinked again and saw absolutely nothing in the mirror. My breathing sped up and I turned towards the door to get out of the room.

Suddenly icy veins wrapped themselves around my chest. I couldn't breath and any noise I tried to make came out as a whisper. One hand flew to my neck and the other to my heart; it was beating like crazy and the added strain was making me dizzy.

The veins were getting tighter and my body seemed to be freezing. Then all of a sudden, the veins _pulled. _I couldn't stop a pained and surprised gasp as I stumbled backwards and tripped against the bathtub. Th cold and the veins dissappeared allowing me to take a gulp of air before I fell into the half-filled bathtub.

I hit my head on something very solid and the shock of the numbing pain made me release my breath and water rushed into my airpipe. I tried to get my heavy and unresponsive limbs to lift me up but something seemed to be pushing me down. I opened my eyes and, although the water stung and blurred my vision into a mass of lines and shapes, I saw someone sitting on top of me.

The water in my lungs made me cough, but nothing else but more water came in. I've never been more afraid, then at that moment as I realised that there was no way I was going to get out of the water...there was just no way...

Black spots took over my vision and the burning pain in my lungs was almost as loud as the pounding of my heart.

One more thought crossed my mind before the world spun out of sight.

_'...I never knew they could kill you...'_

* * *

Minato was whistling quietly and making a pot of tea (they'd noticed yesterday that all Sasuke drank was tea) when suddenly Bruno made him jump by barking…_loudly_. Minato cursed as the boiling water spilled over the countertop and his left hand. He quickly threw a towel onto the soaking wet counter and shoved his hand underneath the coldwater tap. He turned around to yell at Bruno but saw a sight that left him without words.

Bruno was cowering underneath the kitchen table with his head under his paws and his tail tucked between his legs, he was whimpering and shivering; he was scared.

It only lasted ten to twenty seconds and then Bruno's head poked out from between his paws and he stood up, stretched and walked outside where he went about chasing butterflies as usual. Minato was still standing in the same spot, staring at Bruno and wondering what the hell had just happened when the running of the water tap reminded him he had been making breakfast, or at least he'd been trying to.

He shook his head and wrapped his hand in a small wet towel before turning off the tap and drying the counter. He put the tea on the table and then took out a frying pan to make some eggs; apparently all Sasuke ate in the morning.

"WROOOF!"

Minato nearly dropped the pan onto his bare feet but managed to keep a hold of it.

"BRUNO!"

What Minato didn't expect was for the gold Labrador to come pounding inside, what he certainly didn't expect was for Bruno to slip and slide through the doorway, run up the stairs and proceed to bark away at some imaginative foe up there. He quickly threw the pan unto the counter and pretty much flew upstairs, Sasuke was still sleeping and that boy needed his rest. Bruno had been acting weird and annoying for some time now but this was the craziest thing he'd done so far. Minato didn't even _know_ Bruno climbed the stairs, he'd certainly never done so before.

Minato found Bruno barking loudly at the bathroom door…_right across from Sasuke's bedroom!_ Every command Minato threw at the two year old dog was useless and eventually he was left with trying to forcefully pull Bruno downstairs; of course the dog didn't budge at _all_.

Just as Minato was about to give up and just knock on Sasuke's door and apologize for Bruno, the barking stopped. Minato had been standing ready to knock, with his back to Bruno, and turned around to see the dog was squeaking and pressing his body against the far wall from the bathroom door. The blond man was sure that question marks were appearing above his head and would have comically gaped at his four legged pet had it not been for one big, screaming detail.

The bathroom door, which had been closed up until now, _very_ slowly slid open just a crack. With Bruno quiet and the bathroom door no longer closed, Minato could hear the sound of streaming water. He was still trying to figure out how the door had moved without anyone seemingly doing anything and wondered if maybe Sasuke was a sneaky little trickster just like Naruto.

"Sasuke, are you in the bathroom?"

Minato couldn't help but sound a bit hesitant; dogs behaving more than strange and doors seemingly having come to life weren't exactly daily occurrences. He took a step closer to the door as he was met with silence.

"Sasuke, if you're inside than say something or I'm coming in."

Minato waited for a few seconds and then slowly closed the gap between him and the door.

"I'm coming in, okay?"

Still no answer and Minato was starting to feel uncomfortable. If this was a joke than it was a damn elaborate one, he'd have to make sure Naruto and Sasuke didn't team up against him and Kushina. He took a deep breathe (calm down!) and slowly opened the door further.


End file.
